The EU BEV market share is down by almost one third as the market continues to shrink, with Germany experiencing a fall of nearly 70 per cent.

The dramatic fall has prompted the manufacturers, via the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), call on the EU to use urgent relief measures before new CO2 targets for cars and vans come into effect in 2025 and bring forward the CO2 regulation reviews for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, currently scheduled for 2026 and 2027 respectively, to 2025.

As stated by the ACEA Board: “We are missing crucial conditions to reach the necessary boost in production and adoption of zero-emission vehicles: charging and hydrogen refilling infrastructure, as well as a competitive manufacturing environment, affordable green energy, purchase and tax incentives, and a secure supply of raw materials, hydrogen and batteries. Economic growth, consumer acceptance, and trust in infrastructure have not developed sufficiently either.”

In August 2024, registrations of battery-electric (BEV) cars dropped by 43.9 per cent to 92,627 units (compared to 165,204 the same period last year), with their total market share slipping to 14.4 per cent from 21 per cent a year before. This was driven by the spectacular drop in the two biggest markets for BEV cars: Germany (-68.8 per cent) and France (-33.1 per cent). From January to August, 902,011 new battery-electric cars were registered, representing 12.6 percent of the market.

Likewise, plug-in hybrid car registrations saw a decrease (-22.3 per cent) last month, with declines recorded in all their major markets, whilst hybrid-electric vehicles saw limited growth in August, with car registrations rising by 6.6 per cent.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 15 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.

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